hill
noun
a natural elevation of the earth's surface, smaller than a mountain.
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Hil.
hill
1 American
[hil]
/ hɪl /
noun
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hills
plural
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a natural elevation of the earth's surface, smaller than a mountain.
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an incline, especially in a road.
This old jalopy won't make it up the next hill.
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an artificial heap, pile, or mound.
a hill made by ants.
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a small mound of earth raised about a cultivated plant or a cluster of such plants.
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the plant or plants so surrounded.
a hill of potatoes.
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Baseball. mound.
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the Hill. Capitol Hill.
verb (used with object)
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hills,
present (3rd person singular)
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hilled,
past participle, past
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hilling
present participle
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to surround with hills.
to hill potatoes.
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to form into a hill or heap.
idioms
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go over the hill,
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to break out of prison.
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to absent oneself without leave from one's military unit.
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to leave suddenly or mysteriously.
Rumor has it that her husband has gone over the hill.
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over the hill,
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relatively advanced in age.
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past one's prime.
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Hill
2
American
[hil]
/ hɪl /
noun
-
Ambrose Powell 1825–65, Confederate general in the U.S. Civil War.
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Archibald Vivian 1886–1977, English physiologist: Nobel Prize in Medicine 1922.
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James Jerome, 1838–1916, U.S. railroad builder and financier, born in Canada.
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Joe, 1879–1915, U.S. labor organizer and songwriter, born in Sweden.
hill
1
British
/ hɪl /
noun
-
-
a conspicuous and often rounded natural elevation of the earth's surface, less high or craggy than a mountain
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( in combination )
a hillside
a hilltop
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-
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a heap or mound made by a person or animal
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( in combination )
a dunghill
-
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an incline; slope
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informal beyond one's prime
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slang military absent without leave or deserting
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strenuously and persistently
verb
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to form into a hill or mound
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to cover or surround with a mound or heap of earth
Hill
2
British
/ hɪl /
noun
-
Archibald Vivian. 1886–1977, British biochemist, noted for his research into heat loss in muscle contraction: shared the Nobel prize for physiology or medicine (1922)
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Damon Graham Devereux, son of Graham Hill. born 1960, British motor-racing driver; Formula One world champion (1996)
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David Octavius 1802–70, Scottish painter and portrait photographer, noted esp for his collaboration with the chemist Robert Adamson (1821–48)
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Sir Geoffrey ( William ). born 1932, British poet: his books include King Log (1968), Mercian Hymns (1971), The Mystery of the Charity of Charles Péguy (1983), and The Orchards of Syon (2002)
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Graham. 1929–75, British motor-racing driver: world champion (1962, 1968)
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Octavia. 1838–1912, British housing reformer; a founder of the National Trust
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Sir Rowland. 1795–1879, British originator of the penny postage
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Susan ( Elizabeth ). born 1942, British novelist and writer of short stories: her books include I'm the King of the Castle (1970) The Woman in Black (1983), and Felix Derby (2002)
hill
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hillsimple
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hillssimple
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have hilledperfect
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has hilledperfect
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am hillingprogressive
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are hillingprogressive
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is hillingprogressive
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have been hillingperfect progressive
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has been hillingperfect progressive
Past
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hilledsimple
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had hilledperfect
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was hillingprogressive
-
were hillingprogressive
-
had been hillingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hill
before 1000; Middle English; Old English hyll; cognate with Middle Dutch hille, Latin collis hill; compare Latin culmen top, peak ( see column, culminate), celsus lofty, very high, Gothic hallus rock, Lithuanian kálnas mountain, Greek kolōnós hill, kolophṓn summit ( see colophon)
Explanation
A hill is a high ridge or mound of land, not as tall as a mountain. A house on a hill has a great view of the surrounding countryside, and very little chance of being flooded. You can hike or drive up a hill — a gentle upward slope, in either case. An accidental or deliberate mound of stuff is another kind of hill, like a hill of snow in your yard, or a hill of trash at the dump. What's considered a hill in mountainous India — a height of up to 10,000 feet — is absolutely a mountain in Great Britain, where a hill is defined as an elevation of less than 2,000 feet.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Our current view is that Anthropic has a significant hill to climb,” Peterson added in a client note, pointing to the company’s need to find stickier revenue channels like cybersecurity, among goals.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
If the language of the text message is ambiguous, lacks intent, or could be referring to any number of transactions, you would have a steep hill to climb.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
When the crew didn’t have a motorized base that cost about $10,000, they manually pushed a camera crane up a hill.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Monday is likely to be a fairly grey day along with patchy rain and hill fog but brighter spells should develop later in the day for some areas.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The hare easily outdistances the dogs and they wheel back up the hill in a single, sweeping circle.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
"We will continue our work to build a real viable future for Daisy Hill as a general hospital serving its population," Spoerry said.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
While the move has been described as temporary, there is currently no time-frame on the restoration of services at Daisy Hill.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Althaus said he would welcome the opportunity to answer questions about his project and the Trumps’ stake if lawmakers request that he appear on Capitol Hill.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
His home in Greater Manchester was targeted while he was playing for Everton against Newcastle United in a Carabao Cup tie at the Hill Dickinson stadium on Thursday.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Sometimes he’d vary his routine and go on long walks, wandering with his memories near the caves in the Buda Hills—or he’d have an espresso on the terrace of the Hilton on Castle Hill.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Driving up along the Santa Clara river, past invasive mustard grass, three giant tan rocks of glommed-together pebbles and stones tower above the rugged hills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
In the hills of north-west Morocco, overlooking the river that gives the site its name, research at Oued Beht is bringing to light a previously unknown chapter of the region’s past.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
Many visit the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, which contains Irving’s grave, Mr. Ocker notes, as well as the remains of Carnegies, Rockefellers and Astors, among “lush hills studded with old stones, mausoleums, and statues.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
It will also be rather misty and murky over some coasts and hills.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Just then a warm summer breeze whispered down from the hills and fanned its way through the tall-timbered bottoms.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
The potatoes were growing finely and he hilled them up for the first time.
From Hiram the Young Farmer by Burbank L. Todd
There was little work for Paul to do in the village; but he kept their own garden in good trim,—the onion-bed clear of weeds, and the potatoes well hilled.
From Winning His Way by Charles Carleton Coffin
The cabbage group is sometimes hilled up, but if set well down and frequently cultivated, on most soils this will not be necessary.
From Home Vegetable Gardening — a Complete and Practical Guide to the Planting and Care of All Vegetables, Fruits and Berries Worth Growing for Home Use by F. F. (Frederick Frye) Rockwell
It was better to have possession of the imperial seven hilled city, than of Gethsemane and Calvary with all their holy souvenirs.
From History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science by John William Draper
The corn, as soon as shot out of the earth, is weeded: when it mounts up, and its stalks are an inch big, it is hilled, to secure it against the wind.
From History of Louisisana Or of the Western Parts of Virginia and Carolina: Containing by Le Page du Pratz
That hilling up promotes leeks with longer white shanks.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 31, 2024
Prevailing industry practices often involve the concentrated application of fertilizers during the planting or hilling phases, particularly in Atlantic Canada.
From Salon ● Nov. 28, 2023
He mentions that the Potawatomi word for “hill” is a verb: “Hills are always in the process of hilling, they are actively being hills.”
From New York Times ● May 27, 2020
On an afternoon in March, Loïc Gouzer, a specialist in contemporary art at Christie’s New York, attended a hilling session to survey several works that had been secured for an upcoming auction.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 27, 2016
The work of handling or hilling must be done only when the celery is dry and unfrozen.
From Farm Gardening with Hints on Cheap Manuring Quick Cash Crops and How to Grow Them by Anonymous
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
